


Friendship, One Brushstroke at a Time

by KatzRoad



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:35:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27153923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatzRoad/pseuds/KatzRoad
Summary: Alternatively titled: the very first time Rapunzel met Stan the Guard and the two became friends.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	Friendship, One Brushstroke at a Time

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, welcome to a standalone story featuring Rapunzel and Stan. The series never showed how Stan or Pete became Rapunzel's watchmen, so here's my take on that.

“Your Highness, may I present to you Constantine Santiago Hernández.” the Captain of the Guard introduces.

Rapunzel watches as the guard bows in respect to her. She returns the acknowledgement with a curtsy of her own and from behind, her parents smile in delight, knowing their daughter had just crossed another important milestone in the journey of becoming a genuine princess. Rising up again, she folds her hands together and then cranes her neck to look at Constantine.

He’s a big man, broader than the Captain and even brawnier than her father, with tanned skin and a jawline that seemed to be chiseled out of marble. His black mustache is thicker than the Captain’s, fashioned into the handlebar style, and the more Rapunzel looks at it, the more she notices it suits him quite well. She meets his eye when he catches her gaze, a dark brown that is paired with a solemn frown.

Pascal shrinks a little when Constantine finally notices him perched on Rapunzel’s shoulder. He raises an eyebrow in mild curiosity, his lip curling into a slight smirk. The chameleon makes an uneasy squeak and then inches out of the other’s eyesight. Rapunzel chews her lip. ( _If Pascal is wary about him, then I—_ )

“Graduated at the top of his class, highly trained in both swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat, years upon years of experience under his belt,” Captain places a gloved hand on Constantine’s armored shoulder and grins. The guard remains silent, his pose at ease until further notice. “In other words, he’s the best man I have on the Royal Guard. The prefect candidate for your father’s assignment.” he concludes, chest swelling with pride.

“Assignment, being—” Frederic clears his throat and then steps forward to Rapunzel’s right side. He places a gentle hand on her shoulder. “From here on out, Constantine will be your personal security detail.” he decrees.

Rapunzel blinks once, looks to Pascal, then to her father, and then finally to Constantine. Her own personal security detail? Her lip quivers with humbleness. “Oh, I don’t want to impose, really…!” she waves her hand with an awkward chuckle.

It had only been a few days since she’s returned to Corona. She was just now getting used to having shorter, browner hair. She was just now getting used to calling the castle – not her ( _it was never mine_ ) tower – home. She was just now getting used to calling Arianna her (Mother). The thought of having the kingdom’s best ( **the** best!) guard assigned to her made Rapunzel feel unworthy of such a decree.

“It’s quite all right Rapunzel,” Arianna steps forward to her daughter’s left side. “In fact, your father and I specifically requested Constantine based on his credentials. We want the best for you. And that includes having the best guard to protect.” she ends her explanation with a warm smile.

“Your Highness,” Constantine finally speaks, his voice calm but deep. Rapunzel turns to watch him kneel before her; the golden crest of his helmet is visible when he lowers his head. “It would be an honor to be your personal guard, if not a great privilege.” he declares in a humble tone.

Rapunzel blinks once, looks to Pascal, then to her parents, and then finally back to Constantine. She runs a hand through her brown locks as Constantine rises back to his feet, smiling when he does. “Well, I’d guess this is all right. I mean, what do I know anyway? A few days ago I wasn’t even a princess, and now look at me,” she extends her hand to the guard with a chuckle.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Constantine. I’m sure you and I will get along fine.”

...

Eugene takes another bite out of his sandwich and chews slowly. He watches as Rapunzel pulls her meat pie apart into manageable bites and then reaches for a napkin. His gaze stays on her for a moment, to appreciate her beauty and grace, then drifts to past her shoulder where evocative weariness makes his bite hard to swallow.

Halberd in hand, Constantine stands not too far from where Rapunzel and Eugene had laid their checkered blanket down in a secluded part of the castle’s gardens. If it weren’t for the occasional blink of the eye, he could’ve been easily mistaken for one of the many sculptures that dotted the gardens. When he catches Eugene’s eye, the latter immediately looks back to his sandwich and winces to another hard swallow.

“Eugene,” Rapunzel hands him a glass of water as he starts drumming his fist against his chest. He downs the glass in one swoop, the color coming back to his face as the air returns to his lungs. She glances down to Pascal; the chameleon rolls his eyes at Eugene’s dramatics. “I know this isn’t the picnic date you had in mind, but can we please try to make the best of it? Eying Constantine like that isn’t going to make him go away.” she sighs.

Eugene had been waiting for her in the gardens with a blanket and picnic basket. The smile dropped from his face when he saw Constantine trailing behind Rapunzel, his lips curling as though he sucked a lemon. In return, the guard wiggled his nose as though he smelled the stables and tightened his grip on his halberd. Despite the mutual displeasure, Constantine said nothing to Eugene and simply went about standing guard for the young princess and her unscrupulous suitor.

“Look, Sunshine,” Eugene coughs to dislodge the last bits of sandwich from his throat and then swallows thickly. His Adam’s apple bobs as though he took a spoonful of castor oil. “Believe me, I understand being royalty means you got to have guards flanking you left and right. I understand your folks aren’t keen with the idea of leavening you and especially _me_ unsupervised. I totally understand.” he begins.

“Just—” Eugene leans close to Rapunzel. “Of all the men on the Royal Guard, why did it have to be _him?_ ” he stresses, jaw clenching at the last syllable. He makes another weary glance at Constantine, who raises a thick eyebrow at him. “I bet this is Captain’s way of getting back at me after all these years.” he leans back and crosses his arms with a huff.

As Flynn Rider, he encountered Constantine several times before. Unlike Captain, he never shared meaningful banter with the guard, only the clash of swords and the occasional swings of fists. Like Maximus, Constantine had the incredible resolution and would be willing go through extraordinary lengths to bring him to justice. No doubt his pardon of past crimes given by the king didn’t settle well with him (or the rest of the Royal Guard for the matter).

“You don’t know that Eugene.” Rapunzel reaches for his hand. His frown softens at her gentle touch. “Okay, even if that was true, don’t let it bother you! In fact, turn it around to your advantage. Sure, _Flynn Rider_ didn’t get along with Constantine, but I have a feeling _Eugene Fitzherbert_ could make a friend out of him. If he’s willing to get to know him better.” she proposes, eyebrows wagging.

Eugene smiles when Rapunzel’s hand comes up to caress his cheek. “All right Sunshine, I’ll give it a shot.” he chuckles. He closes his eyes as Rapunzel scoots up to smooch him on the brow.

“Thank you, Eugene.” Rapunzel draws back with a giggle.

“Anything for you, Rapunzel.” Eugene winks.

...

True to her father’s decree, Constantine is never a moment’s step away from Rapunzel.

He’s the first person she sees after leaving her bedroom in the morning. He’s the last person she bids goodnight to before she retires for bed at night. He escorts her to breakfast with her parents, lunch with Eugene, and then guards the doors when everyone sits down for dinner. If she needs something, Constantine goes to fetch it. If she doesn’t want something, Constantine goes to discard it.

For the most part, Rapunzel couldn’t complain about this arrangement. There were certainly perks she enjoyed: the guard’s stern face and imposing build made it easier to navigate the crowded marketplace in town. He could reach for books she otherwise couldn’t in the library. Her parents didn’t have to worry much about her getting mugged while she was out in public. Constantine was polite, always holding doors open for her, and would even carry her if the ground proved to be too muddy.

Pascal eventually warmed up to the guard. The first time Rapunzel handed Pascal over to Constantine, he bit him right on the thumb, which brought a storm of apologies from the princess (he’s usually **quite** friendly!) and then just an amused snort from the guard (feisty lil’ guy, ain’t he?). Now it wasn’t uncommon for her to find the chameleon squeaking for Constantine’s attention and scramble up his arm once the latter kneeled down for him.

Eugene has made strides. No longer does he need to look past Rapunzel’s shoulder with wariness on their dates – he’s accepted the fact that Constantine was going to be a permanent piece of (glaring) scenery. Although she couldn’t see the difference, but Eugene swore he was growing on the guard. He even managed to make him snicker at one of his jokes.

All in all, everything was working out.

( _And yet—_ )

Fidgeting, Rapunzel chews her lip and then looks into the mirror. Cassandra works diligently on her corset, making sure the lacing is comfortable enough for the princess to breathe in. Her nightgown lies draped over the elegant screen that separates them from the rest of her bedroom. Sunlight warms the screen to an amalgamation of golden silk and black arabesque.

Her attention shifts back to Cassandra. Wavy black hair that falls into little curls against her brow. Olive skin that glows softly from sunlight. Hazel eyes that were filled with strength and determination. Rapunzel looks away when Cassandra notices her staring, her cheeks turning a slight red.

When Cassandra was presented as her new lady-in-waiting by the Captain of the Guard, Rapunzel’s first thought was that she was meeting Constantine’s daughter. Cassandra did faintly remind her of the older man. But Captain proved her wrong, his chest swelling with pride again, as he was proud that Frederic and Arianna had chosen _his_ daughter to care after the princess.

“All right, I’ll bite, what’s on your mind Raps?” Cassandra sighs. Finished with the lacing, her hands drop to her hips and she waits for a reply back. Rapunzel shyly brushes some hair behind her ear and her lips press into a flat line. “C’mon, is it something Fitzherbert-related? You already know my honest opinion of him.” she smirks.

Rapunzel’s lips curl into a smile. Cassandra’s honesty was one of the many things she liked about the woman. Unlike the other ladies of the court, she wasn’t afraid to speak up, and was more than willing to share how things were actually run in the castle. She also proved to be, in Eugene’s opinion, the greatest adversary he’s ever faced.

“It’s not Eugene, it’s actually Constantine.” Rapunzel finally admits.

“Oh, Stan?” Cassandra raises an eyebrow. Dress in hand, she gestures the princess to raise her arms up.

“Wait, what—” Rapunzel blinks and then she’s momentarily blinded by purple and lavender. Her head pops through the collar and she’s helped into her sleeves. “ _Stan?_ ” she frowns slightly in confusion.

“Yeah, I call him Stan. Been calling him that since I was like, eight or something.” Cassandra smooths down Rapunzel’s skirt, falling to her knees to adjust the hemline. “He doesn’t mind it. Likes it better than ‘Captain Stache.’” she chuckles, rising to her feet again.

“Ah, I see.” Rapunzel nods slowly. Sunlight washes over her as Cassandra folds the screen back into place. She walks over and takes a seat at her vanity. “Is Stan always so…?” she trails off and turns her hand sideways.

“Serious-looking? Not all time,” Cassandra folds Rapunzel’s nightgown and places it back into the wardrobe. She then goes over to make her bed. “I can guarantee you Raps; he smiles a lot more than my dad does.” she jokes.

Rapunzel giggles and then starts brushing her hair. “The solemness I can understand. The frowning I can get used to. It’s the silence I don’t like if I had to be honest.” she reveals.

“Silence?” Cassandra picks up a pillow and discovers Pascal curled underneath it. The chameleon uncoils with a yawn and she carefully scoops him up to place him safely on the nightstand. “What do you mean by that?” she turns to Rapunzel.

“I mean, outside of ‘allow me your highness’ and all that politeness, he doesn’t really talk to me or Eugene. And believe me, Eugene has been trying to make nice with him.” Rapunzel sets her brush down. She cheeks herself in the vanity’s mirror. It was nice to see her reflection without a constant (but oh-so _helpful—!_ ) stream of tips to improve her appearance (just little _imperfections_ my dear—!).

“And that bothers you because…?” Cassandra looks over to Rapunzel while she fluffs pillows.

“Well, if he’s going to be my personal guard, I’d like to be on speaking terms with him. Y’know, get to know him better too. What if there’s something about me or something I do he doesn’t like? What if there’s something he doesn’t like about Eugene?” Rapunzel explains.

It’s not as though she couldn’t understand body language (she spent eighteen years studying in order to have a _somewhat_ pleasant day), Stan’s body language was… hard to read. He was indistinguishable from the other guards and coupled with the silence, made it easy for all of them really to just blend into the background.

Leaning back into her seat, the princess takes a deep breath and then sighs at her reflection. She watches as Cassandra walks over with Pascal on her shoulder.

“You’re never going to know if you don’t talk to him. And it’s all right for you guys to talk to him, if you were wondering there was a rule against that.” Cassandra points out.

“You’re right. I just need to figure out how to weave this into our routine without it coming off forced, y’know?” Rapunzel turns up to her lady-in-waiting.

“I’m sure you’ll figure out something. You’re a smart girl, Raps.” Cassandra smirks.

Rapunzel grins. “Thanks Cass.”

...

“Allow me, Your Highness.” 

Rapunzel lets Stan take the easel out of her hands and with a grunt, carries it under his arm. She thanks him with a smile and gestures for him to follow her down the hall. The wood creaks as they mount the stairs leading up to her bedroom, its weight and paint-smeared legs not bothering him one bit.

There’s another easel waiting for them once they enter her bedroom. Pascal lifts his chin up and squeaks happily when seeing Rapunzel return with Stan. She instructs the guard to set up the easel right beside the other one. He stands back when finished, brushing paint flakes off his gloves.

“Thank you, Stan.” Rapunzel thanks.

“Not a problem Your—” Stan blinks once and then raises an eyebrow. “You just called me **Stan**.” he slowly points at the princess. “How did you—?”

“Cassandra. She told me that’s your nickname. Of course, if that’s just a thing between you and her, I’m fine with using your real name instead.” Rapunzel insisted.

“Nah, nah, it’s fine Your Highness,” Stan chuckles and then rubs the nape of his neck. “I just, assume you wanted to keep our relationship on a professional level.” he shrugs.

“Oh, I think our relationship is professional enough, I just – I _personally_ , would like to know you better.” Rapunzel begins, clapping her hands together. “So I thought about it, and what could be a better way to know someone better than to paint with them?” she beams.

The princess slips around Stan to roll a cart lined with paint, two palettes, and two brushes over to him. She takes a palette and brush in hand. “What do you say? A little art between friends?” she grins, offering them.

Stan looks at Rapunzel and then the art supplies. He then shakes his head with a chuckle. “Sure, why not? It beats guarding a door all day.” he chuckles.

Rapunzel chuckles as well. She picks up her brush and palette and steps over to her easel. “I should warn you: painting with oils can get pretty messy. You should probably ditch the gloves.” she said.

“Very well. And I should warn you princess: I’m thirty-six years old, and I have never painted before in my life.” Stan pulls off his gloves and then picks up his brush. “So bear with me, the end product might be terrible.” he warns.

“Now, now, it’s never too late to start learning how to paint. I could teach you some pointers if you want.” Rapunzel suggests. She looks to her blank canvas and then starts mixing colors. She already has an idea in mind.

“That would be nice Your Highness.” Stan grins.

“Please, call me Rapunzel.” Rapunzel insists.

It doesn’t take long for Rapunzel to get into the flow of painting. Her version sharpens with each brush stroke, static whiteness slowly disappearing underneath a maelstrom of vibrant colors. Pascal climbs onto her while she mixes yellow into her beige for a warmer tone and he reaches her shoulder as she begins to apply it onto her canvas. As before, the chameleon injects his opinion into her work with an occasional squeak of support or disapproval to her choice of color.

Rapunzel glances to Stan now and then to see how he’s doing. For someone who’s never painted before, he’s doing quite well, in her opinion. His tongue sticks out while he concentrates, his eyebrows scrunched down into a determined frown. Her eye catches the golden ring on his left hand and takes her a moment to realize it’s a wedding ring.

“You’re married?” Rapunzel asks.

“Huh? Oh, oh—” Stan looks down to his finger and then nods. “Yeah! Married for a while now. Cassandra was one of our bridesmaids. It was one of the best days of my life.” he recalls, sighing afterwards.

“That sounds so wonderful. I wish I could’ve been there.” Rapunzel said. Swirling her green paint, she carefully paints a vine coiling up a Corinthian column. “Are the other guards married as well?” she asks.

“Mmm, only a couple, and that’s counting myself too. A lot of the men are single.” Stan turns his head slight to the right, studying his painting for a moment, and then adds more yellow. “And if you’re wondering, Captain is married. Married to his job of course. I don’t think Cassandra and I have seen him with a woman before, but hey.” he shrugs.

“So, Your High— _Rapunzel_ ,” Stan licks his lips and then dabs his brush with black paint again. “You’ve been in Corona for almost a month now. How’s that been for you? If that’s not too personal to ask.” the guard turns to her.

Rapunzel chews on his question. Her flow doesn’t stop. She fills the upper part of her canvas with azure. “It’s… It’s been a lot to take in. I mean, it’s been _a real lot_ to take in. There’s just so many things I don’t know, there’s so many _people_ that want to meet me, there’s so many _customs_ , and _traditions_ and—”

“—It’s overwhelming, in other words.” Stan puts it plainly.

“Yeah, pretty much.” Rapunzel sighs. Finally, she puts her paintbrush down. She takes a moment to stretch, her hands marred with a cavalcade of smeared colors. She takes a moment to look at the progress she’s made and then crosses her arms.

“But as much as it overwhelms me, I don’t feel totally swept away.” the princess uncrosses her arms, then steps closer to her canvas, attention focusing on specific patch of mauve. Carefully, she uses her thumb to correct a mistake and then steps back for another look.

“I have Eugene and my parents with me for support. Not to mention all the new friends I’ve made, who’ve been just as supportive too.” Rapunzel turns to Stan with a smile.

Stan nods with a grin. Rapunzel turns back and grabs her brush again. Pascal squeaks from shoulder, ready to get back to work.

“All right Pascal, let’s get this finished!” she beams.

...

“Rapunzel?” Eugene takes a moment to smell the bouquet of flowers he’s holding and then sighs happily. “Oh _Sunshine_ , I got a real treat for you!” he calls out.

“So a funny thing happened; I bumped into one of the guards, André, in town, and it turns out his wife and him own a flower shop, and—” Eugene stops short once he reaches Rapunzel’s room. Rapunzel, Pascal, and Constantine all turn to look at him.

“Oh… what’s happening here?” he asks, lowering his bouquet.

“Eugene!” Rapunzel runs over and gives her boyfriend a tight hug. The cavalcade of smeared colors now mars his vest. “I was just about to come look for you.” she kisses him on the cheek and then draws back.

“What a coincidence, because here I was looking for you too.” Eugene held up his bouquet with a grin.

Rapunzel gasps at the bouquet of flowers and thanked her boyfriend with another smooch. She then took his hand and led him over to her canvas. “You’ve got to see my latest work.” she insists.

“Huh, painting with your guard I see…” Eugene glances to Constantine. The golden breastplate to his armor is smudged with black, red, and yellow. Not the usual look he would expect from the guard.

“Yeah, Stan’s pretty all right once you get to know him.” Rapunzel chuckles.

“ _Stan?_ ” Eugene blinks in confusion.

“It’s all right, you can call me that too.” Stan shrugs.

Eugene nods slowly, taking a mental note for that nickname, and then looks at Rapunzel’s finished work. An ancient colonnade stands majesty against the blue sky. Vines and tendrils crawl up some of the weathered columns while a bed of mauve flowers grow from the shattered entablature.

“Wow Sunshine, this is beautiful!” Eugene rubs his chin and leans forward. The color and detail were impeccable. He gives a low whistle in appreciation.

“And what’s going on here, big guy?” Eugene steps over to Stan’s canvas. His eyebrows scrunch into a frown. Unlike the princess’s, this one he can’t read right away. “Um… _what is this?_ ” he asks.

There’s a lot of black, a lot of black that looks though Stan was trying to stab his canvas. A golden pair of eyes stare almost menacingly at Eugene. Several inches underneath that is a streak of blood red, looped sloppily into a tight bow.

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s a cat. My buddy’s cat. See, there’s the tail, the arms, and the ears.” Stan explains, pointing out the finer details.

“Uh-huh, I see. Is your buddy _a witch_ , by any chance?” Eugene asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Ha! Good one Eugene!” Stan gives a hearty laugh and then slaps Eugene on the back. “Nah, nah, he’s not a witch. At least, not that I know of…” he places a firm, paint-smeared hand on the smaller man’s shoulder.

“Well, I don’t know about you Stan, but I think our paintings are done.” Rapunzel said.

“I agree. Pete’s goin’ love this. I know it.” Stan grins.

Eugene slips from underneath the guard’s hold and claps his hands together. “Great! Great! Now that’s all settled, how about we all wash up? Because I made reservations at Café Sonne’s finest table, and I don’t think I can bring the Princess of Corona and the best man on the Royal Guard when they’re covered in paint.” he warns, placing his hands on his hips.

Rapunzel and Stan blink once, look at themselves, and then look at each other.

They both laugh.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is welcomed!


End file.
